Questions

Everything guests ask us at the box office, written down properly — booking and refunds, what the hour is actually like, access, the strobe and volume advisories, and how to reach Copeland Road.

Booking & tickets ↓Your visit ↓Access & comfort ↓Content & safety ↓Getting here ↓

Short version

One hour, four rooms

All four rooms run as a single continuous sequence — roughly 46 minutes of moving time, 60 to 75 minutes door to door. Plan your visit ↗

Prices

£27 to £58

All prices in GBP, VAT included, one £4.50 booking fee per order. Book tickets ↗

Advisory

One room strobes

The Hum uses strobe, haze and sustained bass. The other three rooms do not strobe at all, and The Hum can be skipped entirely.

Booking & tickets

Buying, changing, refunding.

All prices are in pounds sterling and include VAT at 20%. There is no service charge added at the door.

How much is a ticket?+

Every ticket covers all four rooms in one continuous pass. Weekday Off-Peak is £27 (Wednesday and Thursday entry before 6pm), General Admission is £34, and VIP Late Access is £58 for a 9pm entry with smaller groups, a welcome drink and extended lounge time in Afterglow. The Family Pack — two adults and two guests aged 8–15 — is £99. Essential Companion tickets are free.

Prices include VAT at 20%. Parties of ten or more pay £29 per person on any single time slot — see group bookings.

Is there a booking fee?+

One booking fee of £4.50 per order — not per ticket — is added at checkout and shown before you pay. Booking by phone on 020 7946 0138 costs the same. Orders that contain only free Essential Companion tickets carry no fee at all.

Can I change my date or time?+

Yes. Rescheduling is free up to 24 hours before your slot — reply to your confirmation email with the date you would rather have and we will move it, subject to availability. Inside 24 hours we will still try, but we cannot promise the slot you want, and each booking can be moved once.

Can I get a refund?+

Tickets are refundable in full, including the booking fee, up to 72 hours before your entry time. Inside 72 hours they become exchange-only. Refunds go back to the original card within five working days.

If we cancel a session, or a technical fault means you cannot see all four rooms, you get a full refund or a free re-book — your choice. Nothing on this page affects your rights under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 to a service carried out with reasonable care and skill. Note that the 14-day cancellation right in the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 does not apply to leisure services booked for a specific date, so the 72-hour window above is a policy we offer voluntarily rather than a legal minimum.

Do you sell gift vouchers?+

We do. Vouchers are sold in £27, £34, £58 and £100 values, or at any amount you choose between £20 and £250, and arrive by email as a code within a few minutes. They are valid for 24 months from purchase, work against any ticket type on any open date, and can be part-redeemed — whatever is left stays on the code. Vouchers cannot be exchanged for cash and are not replaced if the code is shared or lost.

My slot is sold out — will more tickets appear?+

Often, yes. Returns come back into the system continuously as people reschedule, and the biggest batch usually lands in the 48 hours before a session. Weekends and VIP Late Access sell out first; Wednesday and Thursday evenings rarely sell out at all, and they are the calmest way to see the show. Email hello@pulse-experience.com with your date and we will flag a return if one appears.

Do I need to print my ticket?+

No. Show the confirmation email or text on any phone at the door, or give your surname at the box office. We do not ask for ID on purchases under £200.

Can I buy on the door?+

Yes, whenever slots remain — but on a Friday or Saturday they usually do not. The Cistern is cashless: card, contactless and phone payments only.

Your visit

What the hour is like.

Pulse runs as one continuous hour through four rooms, in a fixed order, with no interval.

What time should I arrive?+

Ten minutes before the entry time printed on your ticket. Entries run every 30 minutes, and each one is walked in as a single group — arriving early means you get the sensory briefing without rushing, not that you get in sooner.

How long does it last?+

About 46 minutes of moving time: roughly 12–15 minutes in Chromatic Drift, 9–11 in Resonance, 8 in The Hum, then Afterglow for as long as you like. Plan for 60 to 75 minutes door to door including arrival and the cloakroom.

Afterglow is the only room with no timer on it. Nobody will move you along; the mezzanine bar stays open for 30 minutes after the last entry.

What happens if I am late?+

Arrive within 15 minutes of your slot and we will fold you into the next available entry that evening. Later than that and we will hold your ticket as an exchange if there is any way to, but the sequence cannot be joined halfway — the rooms open and close as one group.

Is there a cloakroom, and what can I bring in?+

There is a free staffed cloakroom by the box office for coats and bags. Anything larger than a small rucksack — roughly 40 × 30 × 20cm — has to be checked before you go in, because the rooms are dark and the floor in The Hum moves. We have no space for suitcases or large luggage, so please do not bring them. Lost property is held for 28 days.

Can I eat or drink inside?+

The mezzanine bar serves beer, wine, soft drinks and small plates from a Peckham kitchen before and after your slot. No food or drink goes into the four rooms, including bottled water — there is a refill point beside the cloakroom, and a steward will hold a bottle for you if you would rather not check it.

Can I take photos?+

Yes, in Chromatic Drift, Resonance and Afterglow. Phones stay away in The Hum: the floor is sprung and moving, the room is strobing, and people walk into each other. No flash, no tripods and no lighting rigs anywhere. Filming for commercial use needs written permission from press@pulse-experience.com.

What about phones generally?+

Silent, and screen brightness down. Resonance listens to the room through a 24-microphone array and turns what it hears into light, so a ringtone becomes part of the artwork — funny exactly once, for the person whose phone it is.

Can I leave the sequence and come back?+

You can step out at any point — say the word to any steward and they will walk you to the mezzanine. Coming back in depends on where your group has got to; if they are already in The Hum, a steward will take you straight through to Afterglow to meet them. There is no re-entry once you have finished and left the building.

Are there toilets inside the rooms?+

No. Toilets, including an accessible cubicle with baby-change, are on the ground floor by the box office, with more beside the mezzanine bar. Go before you start — the four rooms run as one hour with no break.

Access & comfort

Getting in, comfortably.

If something here does not answer your question, ring the box office on 020 7946 0138 or email access@pulse-experience.com and a person will answer.

Is the venue step-free?+

Yes. The entrance on Copeland Road is at street level, and all four rooms have level floors with no thresholds. A lift serves the mezzanine bar and toilets. Resonance has two low steps at its doorway; a permanent ramp is deployed on request — mention it when you book, or ask any steward on the night and it takes about a minute.

Are there wheelchair spaces?+

Six wheelchair spaces are held on every entry slot, with room to turn in all four rooms and a clear sightline in The Hum’s no-strobe viewing gallery. Book them by phone on 020 7946 0138 or email access@pulse-experience.com so we can hold the space and brief the stewards.

What is the Essential Companion ticket?+

A free ticket for someone accompanying a guest who needs support to visit — it appears as Access Companion at checkout. One per guest, no medical evidence or scheme membership required, and it never counts towards group minimums or the ten-person group rate.

Do you run BSL-interpreted dates?+

Yes — the first Sunday of every month, on the 5:00pm and 6:30pm entries, with a BSL interpreter for the pre-show briefing and the full sensory advisory. Because the rooms themselves are dark and largely wordless, interpretation covers the briefing rather than the show. A recorded BSL briefing with captions is available at the box office on any date, and a written transcript comes with your confirmation email if you ask.

Are there relaxed or low-sensory sessions?+

The first Wednesday of every month, on the 5:00pm and 5:30pm entries. Capacity is halved, house lights stay up at the room edges, doors stay open so you can leave whenever you want, and The Hum runs strobe-free with the volume down by around 12 decibels.

Afterglow is open as a quiet room for the whole session. Free ear defenders, foam earplugs and weighted lap pads are at guest services, and we will email a visual story of the whole visit in advance if that helps you prepare.

Are assistance dogs welcome?+

Everywhere, and there is a water bowl at the cloakroom. The Hum is the honest exception: sustained bass through a sprung floor and peaks near 98 decibels are a lot for a working dog, so most handlers use the no-strobe gallery instead, where a steward will stay with you. If you would rather, a member of staff can sit with your dog in the mezzanine while you go through.

Is there a hearing loop?+

A fixed induction loop covers the box office and the mezzanine bar — switch your aid to the T position. Portable neck loops are available for the pre-show briefing from any steward, at no charge.

Is there anywhere to sit?+

Afterglow has low benches and floor cushions throughout, and the mezzanine has seating before and after. The first three rooms are standing, but folding stools are kept at the door of each one and a steward will carry one through for you.

Content & safety

What is actually in the rooms.

We would rather tell you all of this before you buy a ticket than after you walk in.

Is there strobe or flashing light?+

Yes, in one room. The Hum uses strobe and blinder units throughout its eight-minute score, reaching around 12 flashes per second at points. It is the only room in Pulse that strobes.

Chromatic Drift and Afterglow have no strobe or rapid flashing at all. Resonance produces occasional bright reflected flashes as the kinetic mirrors move, but never at strobe rate.

I have photosensitive epilepsy. Can I still come?+

Yes, and you can see three of the four rooms in full. Do not enter The Hum. Its no-strobe viewing gallery sits behind glass with a clear sightline to the beam and no direct strobe exposure, or you can go straight through to Afterglow and wait there — nobody has to do The Hum to have seen Pulse. Staff walk every group through the exits before entry, all exits are lit and stewarded, and there is a qualified first-aider on shift for every session.

How loud does it get?+

Afterglow sits around 55dB and Chromatic Drift around 62dB — conversation level. Resonance peaks near 85dB. The Hum peaks near 98dB for roughly eight minutes, with sustained low frequency between 28 and 60Hz felt through a sprung floor. Free foam earplugs and children’s ear defenders are at the door of The Hum, and our crew work to the exposure limits set out in the Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005.

Do you use haze or smoke?+

Haze, continuously, in all four rooms — light in Chromatic Drift, Resonance and Afterglow, heavier in The Hum, where it is what makes the beam visible. It is a water- and glycol-based fluid with no oil and no combustion, so it is not smoke and it does not smell of anything. If you have a respiratory condition you may still prefer the no-strobe gallery, which sits outside the heaviest haze, and contact lens wearers occasionally find a long visit drying.

How dark is it?+

Never fully dark. The lowest light level in the show is roughly a bright full moon — enough to see the person next to you and the marked floor edges. Exit routes stay lit and stewarded throughout. If darkness is difficult for you, tell a steward at the door: they carry torches and will walk the sequence beside you.

Is there a minimum age?+

There is no hard minimum, but we recommend Pulse for ages 8 and up. Under-16s must be accompanied by an adult aged 18 or over for the whole visit, and one adult can accompany up to four under-16s. School and college groups work to a different ratio — see the Groups & Schools page.

The Hum is optional for children, with a staff-guided bypass into Afterglow. Under-5s go free, but we will say plainly that the volume and the dark are not built for them. VIP Late Access at 9pm is 18+ because it includes a bar service, and we operate Challenge 25.

Any other health advisories?+

The Hum delivers sustained low-frequency vibration through the floor. If you are pregnant, have a heart condition or wear a pacemaker or cochlear implant, we advise using the viewing gallery rather than the main room. A defibrillator is kept at the box office, and Afterglow doubles as the exhibition’s quiet room for anyone who needs to stop at any point.

Getting here

The Cistern, 118 Copeland Road.

We are in a decommissioned 1913 covered reservoir a few minutes off Rye Lane, in SE15.

What is the nearest station?+

Peckham Rye, a six-minute walk. It is served by the London Overground Windrush line and by Southeastern and Thameslink services from London Bridge, Victoria, Blackfriars and St Pancras. Leave by the Rye Lane exit, turn right, and Copeland Road is the second on the left — look for the goods gate and the queue.

Which buses stop nearby?+

The 12, 36, 171 and 345 all stop on Rye Lane, two minutes’ walk from the door. For late finishes the N63 and N171 run through the night. There is no Underground station in Peckham: the nearest is Elephant & Castle, from where the 12 and 63 reach Rye Lane in about twenty minutes.

Where can I park?+

There is no car park at the venue. Pay-and-display bays run along Copeland Road and are free after 6.30pm and all day Sunday. The car park at 158 Copeland Road charges a £6 flat evening rate. Two Blue Badge bays sit directly outside the entrance, free with no time limit — ring 020 7946 0138 and we will keep one clear for your slot. SE15 is well outside the Congestion Charge zone, but ULEZ applies across all of London.

Can I cycle?+

A Santander Cycles docking station is directly outside on Copeland Road, and there are Sheffield stands by the goods gate. From Friday to Sunday we run a free indoor bike valet at the cloakroom — bring your own lock for the outdoor stands.

Taxis and coaches?+

Black cabs and app cars can set down and pick up directly outside the main entrance on Copeland Road. Coaches may set down at the goods gate with a ten-minute wait limit; the nearest coach parking is four minutes away. Group and school organisers can find the full coach note on the Groups & Schools page.

Still stuck

Ask a person.

Box office

020 7946 0138

Answered Wednesday to Sunday, 12pm to 8pm. Call the box office ↗

hello@pulse-experience.com

We reply within one working day. Access questions go to access@pulse-experience.com, groups and schools to groups@pulse-experience.com.

More detail

Where to read on

Accessibility statement · Plan your visit · Groups & schools · Terms

Room by room

Full sensory notes.

Each room page carries its own advisory — strobe, volume in decibels, haze level and step-free status — written by the crew who run it.

Chromatic Drift →Resonance →The Hum →Afterglow →

Answered?
Come see it.

Wednesday and Thursday evenings are the quietest slots of the week, and the cheapest — £27 before 6pm.

Get tickets